I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is The Sands of Time are Sinking from 1857.
1 The sands of time are sinking;
the dawn of heaven breaks;
the summer morn I've sighed for,
the fair sweet morn awakes;
dark, dark has been the midnight,
but dayspring is at hand,
and glory, glory dwelleth
in Emmanuel's land.
2 The King there in His beauty
without a veil is seen;
it were a well-spent journey,
though trials lay between:
the Lamb with His fair army
on Zion's mountain stands,
and glory, glory dwelleth
in Emmanuel's land.
3 O Christ, He is the fountain,
the deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted;
more deep I'll drink above:
there to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
and glory, glory dwelleth
in Emmanuel's land.
4 The bride eyes not her garment,
but her dear bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory,
but on my King of grace;
not at the crown He giveth,
but on His piercéd hands;
the Lamb is all the glory
of Emmanuel's land.
I don’t ever remember singing this one, but I’m familiar with the tune, so I’ve probably heard it a lot. The title intrigues me. What’s meant by “the sands of time are sinking”? It basically means that our time in this world will soon end. I remember someone once saying that death is an arrow that’s fired on the day that you’re born, and it follows you through life. And it gets you in the end.
I’d like to think that Christ will return before I die. And the New Testament encourages us to think in terms of His return more than our own death. Yet, Paul, who often spoke of Christ’s eminent return, also anticipated his own death. So, perhaps we should do both, and if we belong to Jesus, we can look at both in a positive light. Here’s a few statement’s that Paul made.
Philippians 1:21-14
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
1 Timothy 4:6-8
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
1 Thessalonians 1 4:16-18
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
So, while I’m often obsessed with my past, I should try to become a little more obsessed with the future. It’s hard to anticipate what heaven will be like, but I’m sure it’ll be like all the best things of this life, only much better. I remember having a couple of unusually vivid dreams of being in the presence of Christ. I can’t explain them, but it felt much better than anything else I ever experienced in life. And no matter what I do to encourage my faith, I never felt as good as that in my waking hours. It’s almost like some veil was lifted to encourage me at times when I needed such encouragement. It was disappointing waking from such a dream and facing the real world. But a time will come when we’ll wake up to something utterly wonderful – as the hymn says; “the fair sweet morn awakes”.
Here are some other versions of today’s hymn:
Hibernia Gospel 